The Princeton Council has asked a consultant to prepare bid documents for a new trash-hauling contract that would also bring back the organic waste collection program. Consultant Wayne DeFeo outlined a set of recommendations at a council meeting on May 23. The town’s contract with its current waste hauler is expiring, and officials agreed to revisit the current trash contract.

The current contract provides for weekly solid waste and bulky waste collection. Solid waste is defined as household trash, and bulky waste includes large items such as bedding and chairs. Residents provide their own trash containers. The proposal outlined by DeFeo calls for the trash hauler to provide a 66-gallon or 95-gallon trash container and a 22-gallon organic waste container to each household. The containers would be picked up on a weekly basis, but bulky waste would be picked up by request.

“Having uniform trash containers would make the town look cleaner and neater, and also reduce litter,” DeFeo said. “If a household believes it needs more than one container, it could be purchased from the trash hauler.” Lawrence Township implemented a similar system several years ago minus the organic waste collection component. Residents are issued a trash container by the town, so all of the trash containers look alike. It is a semi-automated system. Princeton’s organic waste collection program had been suspended in 2020 for lack of participation. Under the new contract, the program would be provided to the approximately 7,000 households instead of the previous voluntary program that attracted fewer households.

To read the full story, visit https://centraljersey.com/2022/06/19/princeton-council-explores-new-trash-contract/.
Author: Lea Kahn, CentralJersey.com
Image: CentralJersey.com

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